When Carmen walked out the door two days later, she was still unsure of what she wanted to do with the offer from Beaksmith. She knew she would meet Owen and then head over to see the play, but after that everything was unclear. They had promised her the VIP treatment, and she was admittedly a little excited to see what that meant.

She was conflicted, though, because she felt a little dishonest accepting their overtures when she had no real plans to consider their offer. She was trying to keep an open mind, but her heart wasn't in it. How much does your heart need to be in something in order to do it, though?

Owen was standing at the entrance of the theatre when Carmen arrived. He was dressed to the nines in a very fancy tuxedo. How does a barista afford a fancy tuxedo? It wouldn't be a very polite question to ask, so Carmen let it drop as she walked up to him.

Her floor-length blue gown and accompanying white purse perfectly complimented the sparkling jewelry that Amy had picked out for her. It was a shame no one could see Carmen's beautiful blue shoes, which were hidden under her dress except for a toe peeking out now and then when she walked.

"I've never seen you with your hair up," Owen smiled.

She smiled back and offered him a hug which he accepted.

"You look beautiful, by the way," Owen kept his eyes firmly on Carmen's, though it looked like they wanted to wander.

"Thank you," Carmen accepted his arm and allowed him to lead her up the five stairs to get to the door of the theater. "You look pretty good yourself."

Carmen saw his cheeks turn red, but she only smiled to herself as they made their way into the lobby of the theater. She had never been in the theater before, and she was struck by how beautiful the lobby was.

There were rich reds and golds everywhere, and mirrors lined the walls. Even the reflections of the crystal chandeliers sparkled as they lit up the room.

"Wow," Owen breathed, "I had no idea it was so beautiful in here."

Neither did I. Carmen was shocked. She had to admit this kind of beauty might be able to sway her decision.

She was still soaking in all the statues and waiters and general grandeur when a woman in a pristine suit strolled across the lobby to greet them.

"Hello, you must be Carmen," the woman offered her hand to Carmen and then Owen before continuing. "I'm Jodi. I called you to set this all up for you."

"Hello, Jodi. We are so happy to be here," Carmen had turned on the business voice that was all charm, and her introverted ways melted away.

"We are so happy you agreed to come. I think you will be perfect here," Jodi motioned for them to follow her. "Shall we?"

Carmen nodded and reached for Owen's arm to steady herself as she walked across the lobby and down a flight of stairs.

"Is it normal to visit the basement?" Owen whispered to Carmen as they stepped off the last step, "Or is this because you're special?"

His breath on her ear was enough to make her face warm with excitement. He was so close that Carmen could smell his cologne, but she had to keep her focus.

"This is special," she responded so as not to get too personal in the middle of her tour.

Jodi held open a door at the bottom of the staircase and indicated they should go through.

"We're just going to enter the first door on the left to meet some of our staff and cast briefly. These are some of the people you will be working with when you accept the offer and officially make the move."

Bold of Jodi to assume I would accept the offer at all given that I had already basically said no. That no had resulted in the offer to at least come check it out first, so there she was.

But the facilities were superb. If anything could sway her into accepting the offer, seeing the theater would be it.

Even the cast area was decorated as though royalty were coming for a visit. Entering the door to the left revealed a large lounge with couches and refreshments. There were at least ten people standing around the room talking with each other.

"Hello everyone!" Jodi's voice reverberated off the walls and commanded attention. She was very good at her job. She waited while everyone finished their sentences before turning to face her.

"Hello everyone. This is Carmen Morales. She's been offered a lead role starting in our next production, but I wanted her to meet some of the people she would be working with before she makes a decision."

Jodi led Carmen and Owen over to a man she introduced as the musical director.

"Matt, I leave them in your capable hands," she addressed the musical director before turning to Carmen. "I will be back in fifteen or twenty minutes to help you both find your seats. Enjoy."

With that, she turned on her heels and left the room faster than Carmen had ever seen anyone move.

Owen was a fabulous buffer between Carmen and the Beaksmith crew as he asked questions about the theater, the production, and their jobs, allowing Carmen to sit back and listen most of the time.

In what seemed like five minutes, rather than fifteen, Jodi came bustling back into the room.

"I'm sorry I was a couple minutes delayed," she smiled at Carmen, again ignoring Owen. "I will escort you two to your seats, if you are ready."

Carmen nodded and Owen spoke for them, "Yes, please. Lead the way."

The staircase up to the private box was even more ornate than the lobby. Carmen felt sure the handrails were coated in real gold, they shone so brightly. More chandeliers and red carpets welcomed them to the upper level as they made their way to a door marked Box A.

One push of the carved wooden door allowed them entry into their box. There were two chairs covered in red fabric sitting on either side of a small table with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Along the back wall, there was also a table with additional food and drink on it.

When the door had closed behind them, Owen whistled quietly, "They are pulling out all the stops. They must really want you to say yes."

Carmen did not have time to respond as the tone chimed and the house lights went down. The performance was starting.